Northwestern University Athletics
Men's Basketball to Face No. 9 Seed Penn State
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 1, 1999
Northwestern Wildcats (14-12, 6-10 Big Ten)
vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (13-13, 5-11 Big Ten)
1999 Big Ten Tournament - Round 1
Thu., March 4, 1999 -- 1 p.m. CST
Radio: WGN AM 720
TV: ESPN2
Northwestern enters the 1999 Big Ten Conference tournament as the eighth seed and will face ninth-seeded Penn State in the opening game of the tournament. The winner of this contest will face Big Ten regular season champion Michigan State in Friday's quarterfinals.
Northwestern dropped a 58-51 decision to 25th-ranked Minnesota in its final regular season game. The Wildcats closed the regular season playing five top-25 teams in the last six games.
Wildcat Probable Starters
Pos. No. Name (height, weight, class, hometown) ppg rpg
G #4 Julian Bonner (6-1, 198, Sr., Detroit, Mich.) 4.6 2.3
G #24 David Newman (5-11, 165, Fr., Des Moines, Iowa) 8.3 1.9
C #42 Evan Eschmeyer (6-11, 255, Sr.-6, New Knoxville, Ohio) 19.6 10.3
F #33 Tavaras Hardy (6-8, 210, Fr., Joliet, Ill.) 6.9 4.0
F #14 Steve Lepore (6-5, 200, Fr., North Olmsted, Ohio) 6.4 4.0
First off the benchG #22 Sean Wink (6-2, 176, So., Brea, Calif.) 7.5 1.8 C #35 Aron Molnar (6-11, 242, Jr., Mississauga, Ontario) 2.9 2.5 F #11 Danny Allouche (6-5, 200, Sr., Omer, Israel) 2.8 1.5 F #5 Joe Harmsen (6-9, 248, Sr., Fond du Lac, Wis.) 0.8 1.4Northwestern-Penn State, The Series
This will be the 16th all-time meeting between the two schools. Penn State holds an 11-4 series lead. However, Northwestern swept the two regular season meetings against the Nittany Lions. NU won in overtime at home on Jan. 20 (62-60) then captured a 71-67 decision in State College on Feb. 6.
Head Coach Kevin O'Neill
Kevin O'Neill (McGill, 1979) is in his second season at the helm of the Wildcat basketball program. This is his 10th season as head coach at the Division I level and 13th overall as a collegiate head coach. He also has served as head coach at North Country CC (1980-82), Marycrest (1982-83), Marquette (1989-94) and Tennessee (1994-97).
O'Neill owns a 24-29 record at NU and a 146-138 record as a Division I head coach. Known as one of the best recruiters in the nation, O'Neill resurrected the Marquette and Tennessee programs, taking two teams which had not enjoyed recent success to postseason play.
Most Big Ten Wins in 15 Years
The turnaround of the Wildcat program under head coach Kevin O'Neill is making a dent in the Wildcat history books.
NU has notched 14 wins for just the 11th time in school history, the last coming in the 1993-94 NIT campaign (15-14 overall). The 'Cats also won six Big Ten games for the first time since the 1983-84 squad compiled a 7-11 mark in the conference. In addition, this year's six conference victories doubled last year's win total of three.
One of the Nation's Top Defenses
All season, the 'Cats have ranked among the nation's leaders in field goal percentage defense and scoring defense. The Wildcats have been ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in field goal defense much of the season and among the top five in scoring defense the majority of the season.
NU enters the Big Ten Tournament holding opponents to a conference-best .371 shooting from the field. NU is second in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing just 57.0 points per game. Northwestern also leads the Big Ten in three-point field goal defense, holding opponents to just .296 from beyond the arc. Here's what NU did to some opposing offenses this season:
Eschmeyer Named First-Team All-Big Ten for Third-Straight Season
Northwestern sixth-year senior center Evan Eschmeyer earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for the third-straight season. Since the Big Ten began naming all-conference teams in 1948, only 14 other players have ever been named first-team All-Big Ten for three-straight seasons. The last to accomplish the feat was Indiana's Calbert Cheaney (1991-93).
Eschmeyer is Consensus National Player of the Year Finalist
Evan Eschmeyer has been named a finalist for all three of the major "National Player of the Year" awards.
On December 29, he was named to the mid-season top 30 team for the John Wooden Award, which is presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. In February, he was named a finalist for the Oscar Robertson Award, presented by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and the Naismith Award, presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
The Oscar Robertson Award will be presented March 28 at the Final Four in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Wooden Award will be presented in Los Angeles on April 2. The Naismith Award will be presented in Atlanta on April 3.
Eschmeyer Leads the Big Ten -- Times Three
Evan Eschmeyer enters the Big Ten Tournament atop the conference in three statistical categories: rebounds (10.3 rpg), field goal percentage (.586) and double-doubles (14). He also is third in the Big Ten in scoring (19.6 ppg).
Nationally, "Esch" ranks fifth in rebounding, 12th in field goal percentage and 38th in scoring. He enters the tournament with 44 career double-doubles.
More on Eschmeyer
Evan Eschmeyer concluded his Big Ten regular season career having scored 1,134 points in his 68 games against Big Ten competition. His total is tied for 31st in the all-time Big Ten annals with Minnesota's Willie Burton. Billy McKinney is the only other NU player to score more career Big Ten points (1,197).
Eschmeyer's league-leading 14 double-doubles is double that of his closest Big Ten competitor. Penn State's Calvin Booth is second with seven double-doubles.
On January 13, Eschmeyer recorded just the second triple-double in program history with his 27-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist performance at Indiana. It also was the first-ever triple-double posted in IU's Assembly Hall.
In the Jan. 27 USA Today, Eschmeyer was named to their midseason All-America first team and described as "the most productive player in the nation's best conference." CNN/SI also named him to their midseason All-America team on Jan. 25.
Three-time Big Ten Player of the Week
Evan Eschmeyer has been named Big Ten Player of the Week three times this season.
On Dec. 28, he was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week after recording double-doubles in NU's games against Boston College (23p, 10r) and Long Beach State (16p, 13r). On Jan. 11, he earned the honor again after leading NU to wins at 16th-ranked Minnesota (24p, 15r) and at Illinois (16p, 17r, 5a).
Eschmeyer earned the nod for the third time on Feb. 8 after scoring a combined 57 points (29 vs. Michigan, 28 at PSU) and adding 22 rebounds in just 56 minutes of play.
Eschmeyer Holds Four NU Career Records
Evan Eschmeyer has already set four NU career marks and enters the Big Ten Tournament needing just six blocked shots to break the NU career blocks record. Here's where Eschmeyer ranks among NU's all-time career leaders:
Category Eschmeyer Next Up FG Pct. 1st - .595 --- FT Attempts 1st - 844 --- Rebounds 1st - 971 --- FT Made 1st - 550 --- Blocked Shots 2nd - 128 Kevin Rankin (133) Scoring 2nd - 1,746 Billy McKinney (1,900) Field Goals 3rd - 598 Jim Stack (623), Billy McKinney (768)What They're Saying About Eschmeyer
Here's a brief sampling of what has appeared within the last month about National Player of the Year finalist Evan Eschmeyer:
"The most productive player in the nation's best conference." -- USA Today (January 27)
"As long as I've been in the Big Ten, I'm not sure there has been a single player like Eschmeyer where his team has played to and from one guy. Not even Magic Johnson. I love to watch him." -- Indiana head coach Bob Knight (February 13)
"There's no better post player in college." -- Seth Davis, Sports Illustrated (February 2)
"Northwestern is efficient-playing the inside-outside game with Evan Eschmeyer, who averages 20 points and 10 rebounds despite being double-, triple- and quadruple-teamed in the paint." -- Chris Altruda, Sportsticker (January 29)
"He's the best center in the Big Ten, if not the country." -- Purdue head coach Gene Keady (January 27)
Bonner's Tough on 'D'
Senior guard Julian Bonner has drawn quite a few tough defensive assignments this season. He has already defended the second-, third- and fourth-ranked scorers in the country this season.
Against Bonner and the Wildcats, Ray Minlend of St. Francis, currently second in the NCAA at 24.7 ppg, scored just 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting. Brian Merriweather of Texas Pan-Am, fourth in the NCAA at 24.1 ppg, scored just 14 points on 5-of-23 shooting.
On February 10, alternating between Wisconsin's backcourt of Sean Mason and Ty Calderwood, Bonner helped keep the Badger duo to 7-of-25 (.280) from the field. They had entered the game shooting a combined .421 for the season.
Versus Michigan, he held Louis Bullock to just eight points on 2-of-11 shooting, and also snapped Bullock's streak of 45-straight games hitting a three pointer. Approximately 36 hours later, he held Penn State's Joe Crispin to 1-of-12 from the field. Among the other guards he's kept off the scoreboard were MSU's Mateen Cleaves (seven points, 2-9 FG) and Seton Hall's Shaheen Holloway (nine points, 3-10 FG).
Don't discount Bonner's offensive accomplishments, however. He ranks fourth in Wildcat history with 281 career assists. Bonner enters the Big Ten Tournament with 103 career three-pointers, tied for fourth on NU's all-time list.
Wildcats Among the Big Ten Leaders in Three Pointers
Northwestern enters the Big Ten Tournament second in the conference in three pointers made, averaging 7.0 per contest (181 in 26 games). NU's 181 treys is the second-highest total in school history. The 1993-94 squad holds the record with 187.
Sophomore guard Sean Wink ranks 10th in the Big Ten in three pointers made, averaging 2.1 per game. For his career, Wink is shooting .429 (141-329) from three-point range. His 141 career threes rank second in NU history. Todd Leslie holds the all-time Wildcat record with 203 treys.
Against Boston College, Wink hit 6-of-12 from three-point range, the fifth time in his NU career that he has hit six three-pointers. Wink also hit five three-pointers this season against Long Beach State and connected on four at Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana.
Freshman point guard David Newman has nailed 49 threes (1.9 per game) while fellow freshman Steve Lepore has 42 (1.6 per game) to his credit. The Wink-Newman-Lepore combination has hit 146 of the Wildcats' 181 threes this year. Wink's 55 threes this season is fifth in NU history while Newman's 49 threes ranks 10th in school history.
Wildcat Freshman Trio Starting to Mature
Northwestern's freshman trio of David Newman, Steve Lepore and Tavaras Hardy continue to play a key role as the Wildcats look to earn a postseason berth. Entering the Big Ten Tournament, the trio has combined for 36 percent of NU's scoring, 29 percent of the rebounding and 50 percent of NU's three-point field goals.
Newman, playing the point guard position as a true freshman, leads the team in assists (2.9 apg) and is the team's second leading scorer (8.5 ppg). Newman also is an excellent free throw shooter, connecting on 46-of-56 (.821) on the season. In Big Ten play, he was 12-of-13 (.923) from the charity stripe. Newman also has begun to emerge as a team leader on the floor as he gains more experience at the point guard position.
Lepore, who started the first seven games of the season, moved back into the starting lineup on February 13 against Indiana. He is fifth on the team in scoring (6.6 ppg) and is third in rebounding (4.0 rpg). He has played a key role in both wins against Penn State this season. In the first meeting, Lepore hit a running jumper with eight seconds left to send the game into overtime. In the second matchup, he nailed five three-pointers for the game and hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 14 seconds to help NU secure the victory. On Jan. 27, he hit two free throws with three seconds left to seal the win against No. 14 Purdue. Hardy stands second on the team in rebounding (4.2 rpg) and fourth in scoring (7.0 ppg). He also is third on the 'Cats in blocks (17) and steals (17).
Allouche Named GTE Academic All-District
Senior guard Danny Allouche earned GTE Academic All-District honors this season, as voted upon by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The Omer, Israel, native has a 3.78 GPA in economics. The other four members of the all-district team were: Andy Hirchy (Butler), Luke Recker (Indiana), Sean Riley (Illinois State) and Zoran Viskovic (Valparaiso). The five players now advance to the national ballot for GTE Academic All-America consideration.
Dishing the Rock
The Wildcats are an extremely unselfish team, as evidenced by the fact five players are averaging between 1.8 and 2.8 assists per game. David Newman leads the team with 2.8 assists per game. He is followed by Julian Bonner (2.5), Evan Eschmeyer (2.4), Steve Lepore (2.2) and Tavaras Hardy (1.8).
Big Ten Stat Leaders
Here's where the 'Cats rank among the Big Ten and NCAA stat leaders (Big Ten as of March 1, NCAA as of Feb. 23):
Individual - All Games
Scoring: Evan Eschmeyer - 3rd Big Ten, 38th NCAA (19.6 ppg) Rebounds: Evan Eschmeyer - 1st Big Ten, 5th NCAA (10.3 rpg) FG Pct.: Evan Eschmeyer - 1st Big Ten, 12th NCAA (.586) Double-Doubles: Evan Eschmeyer - 1st (14) FT Pct.: Evan Eschmeyer - 11th (.756) 3pt Pct.: Sean Wink - 6th (.390) 3pt Made: Sean Wink - 10th (2.1 tpg) Blocks: Evan Eschmeyer - 4th (1.7 bpg) Offensive Rebs: Evan Eschmeyer - 1st (3.5 orpg) Defensive Rebs: Evan Eschmeyer - 2nd (6.8 drpg)
Team - All Games
3pt Pct. Defense: 1st (.296) FG Pct. Defense: 1st Big Ten, 1st NCAA (.371) 3pt FG Made: 2nd (7.0 tpg) Scoring Defense: 2nd Big Ten, 6th NCAA (57.0 ppg) 3pt Pct. Offense: 3rd (.370) Blocked Shots: 4th (3.8 bpg) Assists: 5th (15.2 apg)Wildcat Record Book Update
Here is an update to the Wildcat record book:
Career
Scoring: Evan Eschmeyer (2nd, 1,746)
Scoring Avg.: Evan Eschmeyer (6th, 16.0)
Field Goals Made: Evan Eschmeyer (3rd, 598)
Field Goal Pct.: Evan Eschmeyer (1st, .595)
Three Ptrs. Made: Sean Wink (2nd, 141)
Julian Bonner (t4th, 103)
Nate Pomeday (6th, 67)
David Newman (10th, 49)
Three Ptrs. Att.: Sean Wink (2nd, 329)
Julian Bonner (4th, 309)
Nate Pomeday (6th, 206)
David Newman (10th, 136)
Three Point Pct.: Sean Wink (6th, .429)
Steve Lepore (8th, .365)
Free Throws Made: Evan Eschmeyer (1st, 550)
Free Throws Att.: Evan Eschmeyer (1st, 844)
Rebounds: Evan Eschmeyer (1st, 971)
Rebounding Avg.: Evan Eschmeyer (6th, 8.9)
Assists: Julian Bonner (4th, 281)
Steals: Julian Bonner (9th, 95)
Blocked Shots: Evan Eschmeyer (2nd, 128)
Games Played: Evan Eschmeyer (t8th, 109)
Games Started: Evan Eschmeyer (t8th, 94)
Minutes Played: Evan Eschmeyer (6th, 3,341)
Single Season
Points: Evan Eschmeyer (5th, 509)
Field Goal Pct.: Evan Eschmeyer (4th, .586)
Three Ptrs. Made: Sean Wink (5th, 55)
David Newman (10th, 49)
Three Ptrs. Att.: Sean Wink (4th, 141)
David Newman (t5th, 136)
Three Point Pct.: Julian Bonner (3rd. .475)
Free Throws Made: Evan Eschmeyer (1st, 195)
Free Throws Att.: Evan Eschmeyer (2nd, 258)
Rebounds: Evan Eschmeyer (t6th, 268)
Blocked Shots: Evan Eschmeyer (3rd, 44)
Single Game
Three Ptrs. Made: Sean Wink vs. Boston College (t2nd, 6)
David Newman vs. Indiana (t2nd, 6)
Three Ptrs. Att.: Sean Wink vs. Oakland (t3rd, 13)
Sean Wink vs. Boston College (t5th, 12)
Sean Wink vs. Long Beach State (t5th, 12)
Sean Wink vs. Maine (t7th, 11)
David Newman vs. Indiana (t7th, 11)
Three Point Pct.: Sean Wink at Illinois (t5th, .800, 4-5)
Free Throws Made: Evan Eschmeyer vs. Minnesota (t1st, 17)
Free Throws Att.: Evan Eschmeyer vs. Minnesota (t4th, 21)
Evan Eschmeyer vs. Michigan (t8th, 19)
Free Throw Pct.: Evan Eschmeyer at Wis. (t7th, 1.000, 10-10)
Rebounds: Evan Eschmeyer vs. Penn State (t9th, 21)
Assists: Evan Eschmeyer at Indiana (t4th, 10)
Blocked Shots: Evan Eschmeyer vs. Purdue (t2nd, 7)
Postseason Tournament Ticket Hotline
The Northwestern ticket office has established a hotline to update fans on ticket availability for any potential postseason games involving the Wildcats. The number is (847) 467-1300.
Home Court Advantage
In Kevin O'Neill's two seasons as head coach, the Wildcats have made Welsh-Ryan Arena a tough place to play. NU has a 21-11 (.656) home court record under O'Neill, which is a marked improvement considering that, in the three seasons prior to O'Neill's arrival in Evanston, NU won just 14 home games. This marks the first time in school history that NU has recorded back-to-back seasons of 10-or-more home victories. The Wildcats never trailed at halftime in 17 home games this year.
Letter-of-Intent Signees
During the November early signing period, the Wildcats signed five players to National Letters of Intent to begin playing basketball at NU next season:
Winston Blake (F, 6-5, 180, Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) Brody Deren (F, 6-7, 223, Harlan, Iowa/Harlan Comm.) Aaron Jennings (C, 6-11, 200, Atkins, Iowa/Benton Comm.) Ben Johnson (G, 6-3, 180, Minneapolis, Minn./De La Salle) Adam Robinson (F, 6-10, 210, Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls)Johnson (No. 60) and Blake (No. 95) are each ranked among the top 100 players in the country by Bob Gibbons. Deren was "Southwest Iowa Player of the Year" as a junior, while Jennings and Robinson were both named All-Americans this season by various publications.
In Memoriam
The Wildcats wear a patch on the left corner of their shorts bearing the initials "D.P." The patch is in memory of Don Pomeday, father of senior guard Nate Pomeday, who passed away on December 9.
